Many rowers have rowed in slightly strangely rigged boats before, be that a bucket rigged four (strokeside, bowside bowside strokeside or vice versa), an eight with a bucket in it somewhere or a bow-rigged eight or four. Very few have been out in a boat quite like the one that ICBC attempted to row one cloudy Bank Holiday Monday morning.

Photo Copyright of Mark Chilvers for New Scientist 

At the suggestion of New Scientist, the eight was rigged according to the most extreme of predictions made by mathematical physicist, John Barrow, who formulated four different possible rigs which should outperform and be more efficient than the usual rig of alternating strokeside and bowside. The rig tested by ICBC went stroke x2, bow x4, stroke x2. Others suggested by Barrow included Stroke, Bow, Stroke, Bow x2, Stroke, Bow, Stroke (the rig currently used by the Canadian and German National eights); Stroke, Bow x2, Stroke x2, Bow x2, Stroke and Stroke, Bow x2, Stroke, Bow, Stroke x2, Bow. All these other rigs have been used at some point in history. See here for the full academic paper.

As the eight lay in the boat bay, ready to be taken to the water, the main question on everyones lips was "What order should we sit in?".  Eventually, this was resolved and the crew of (bow to stroke) Tom Pearson, Josh Bulter, Paddy Hudson, Gareth Brown, Will Todd, Alex Gillies, Danny Bellion, Iain Palmer and Libby Richards (cox), tentatively boated. Even walking out of the boathouse was odd, with the four bowsiders all standing a little too close to one another.

Right from the start, the crew knew this would be an odd outing. As bowside got into the boat, it seemed strange to have so many people on the same side in the middle, and as soon as the crew pushed off, the movements of the boat seemed very usual. The crew's normal warm up had to be completely changed as any work involving less than all eight rowers lead to the boat wobbling and wiggling uncontrollably. On the first strokes of all eight rowing together, the boat was pulled round to bowside, which was not due to any differences in strength. Once up and moving, it was pulled round to strokeside, again, not due to differences in strength, but simply because of the rig. As the outing progressed, the crew became more comfortable in the boat, even though the large gap on strokeside between 2 and 7 would never truly feel natural, nor would the middle four rowers on bowside ever be totally at ease.

The outing, including the programmed work, was  eventually completed, even if not as successfully as usual. The reaction from the rowers once the crew was off the water varied. Danny Bellion reported "it accentuated any problem we had; for example, if it started to tip, it would probably get worse". Alex Gillies had a slightly more optimistic view that "if we kept going out in it for a season, we might be able to race in it". Others commented "it's just not as good as normal" and "I found it very hard to follow someone rowing on the same side".

All in all, it was an experience that the crew were pleased to be a part of. For full details, see the New Scientist Article, written by Justin Mullins, for more information. Available in print, including pictures of the eight in action, until the 29th July 2010.

A video including footage of the eight on the river is available here. 

Libby Richards